The King, The Duke, and The Lady

Chapter 12

Two months later, everyone was back at Court as if nothing as tragic as losing half of the population of the country never mattered. The Duke and Duchess of Suffolk moved into their new apartments next to the King's with complete access between the two. Their more traditional wedding ceremony had been conducted by the Archbishop and everyone wore red and white ermine as appropriate. The festivities went on for days including feasts, jousts, and dancing. The newly married couple spent their nights making love and every day the Duke spent at the business of the Court while the Duchess set up their newly combined households and spent time with Henry's newest Queen, Jane Seymour. She found Queen Jane to be a delightful and innocent woman whose only care was for the welfare of the King and to some degree she very carefully moved behind the scenes to take a care for the Catholic cause. Even though Brianna was not one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting, Jane and Brianna spent a lot of time on their tours about the gardens and walking her adorable puppy. It was Brianna that Queen Jane first told of her pregnancy, even though the two of them kept the secret until the Queen was ready to tell the King.

Within weeks of Jane telling the King finally, it was time for Brianna to tell the Duke and the King that she was pregnant as well. Brianna was a little more nervous about her pregnancy because while the King had shared the Queen's bed often he also shared Brianna's, although only when the Duke was about the country or Europe on the King's business. They had agreed before leaving Cheverly that once they returned to Court while both men may share Brianna's bed, they would not do so at the same time. It was far too dangerous.

After several months, Jane Seymour finally went into labor at full term. She cried out in agony as her pains began and pleaded with Princess Mary and Brianna not to leave her, to stay by her side no matter what. They both of course agreed. The midwife and others were uncomfortable having two women who had not been through childbirth being in the birthing room, but Brianna stopped their objections with a single look.

Hours into the labor, Jane was exhausted. She dismissed her ladies from her temporarily, asking Brianna to stay for a moment between contractions. "Bri," she cried softly. "If something is to happen to me…." Brianna shook her head, refusing to consider any such possibility.

"Brianna, you are my closest friend, and you know this is not going well. Even if I do eventually deliver, I will never survive. I want you to take care of the King."

Brianna looked at her in surprise, her friend obviously knowing about her relationship with the King. "Yes, Brianna I know. I have always known. He loves you very much, and he listens to you. You must stay close to him and not let him lose his way. He is not always surrounded by the best of counsel. You must help him." She cried out in pain again which brought her ladies back in a hurry. Brianna took one hand as Princess Mary took her other, Princess Mary begging her to hold on. The midwife continued to shake her head. No matter how hard the Queen pushed, her channel was simply not going to answer her prayers.

Soon, Brianna received a summons from the King. Looking in the mirror before leaving the birthing room, she caught her reflection however briefly. She was a mess. Her hair was askew and she had torn off her hair covering and released more of her dress as the heat and pain that invaded the room began to take over. Her own belly protruded and she was hardly fit for presentation to the King, but he demanded it and she would answer his call. She cared less how she looked and was greatly concerned about Jane and what was happening in the room. Edward, Jane's brother accompanied her down the hallway, providing a shield for her from all the others standing in the hallway. Before she took her leave from Jane, Brianna assured her that it would only be for a moment and she would return.

Brianna entered the King's privy chamber where he sat staring into the fire at the table. Brandon sat next to him and both men were simply staring at a candle or at the fire. Sir Francis Bryant stood in a corner looking out the window. Edward Seymour entered the room introducing the presence of Brianna, Duchess of Suffolk. Brianna just looked at Edward, annoyed at his need to stand on formality at a time like this.

Brianna went to the King intending to curtsy but the King waved her off and had her sit in a chair next to him.

"Brianna, what news? You will tell me the truth."

"Jane is still in her birthing pains. She is not progressing. The doctors and midwife say that it will likely come to you choosing one over the other." Brianna simply told him the situation without elaboration.

The King dropped his head into his hands, pain coming off of him in waves. He reached for her hand. "Brianna, I fear I will lose them both. What am I to do? How long before the decision must be made?"

"I think in the next couple of hours you will have to make your decision. And Your Majesty," he looked up at her indicating he should be his friend at this point and call him by his given name as he so preferred by her, "you know what you must do."

"Brianna, I do think I will lose them both. What do you think I should do?" Henry put his hand on her womb feeling the baby moving within her.

"If you do not make your decision you will surely lose them both Henry." She paused and looked at Brandon and then back at the King. "Henry, the duty of every wife, especially of the upper ranks, is to bear a son, hopefully many sons. We know that going in. We pray to become pregnant, and then as the child is ready to be born, we pray both the baby and that we survive. But if it comes down to one or the other, we all expect our husbands to choose the child over the mother. It is the sacrifice we all know that sometimes we must make. Henry, my love and my king, you know what you must do. Jane knows it too."

Brianna looked around the room at the faces of the frightened men. "It is why the women bear the children while the men's job ends after the seeds are planted." Brianna stood to leave, pushing her loose hair behind her ear. "Now, I must go. Jane needs me. You have your best friends here with you. If you need information again, you must allow Edward to relay it to you sir. I am needed at Jane's bedside."

Henry took her hand as she walked past him and held it to his lips. "My lady, you are well? This is not affecting your own child or yourself?"

"I am fine. You can feel how the baby moves. He is very strong, just as his father." Brianna leaned over the King's forehead and kissed him. "God goes with you." She turned and left.

Before she was out of the room to be escorted by Edward Seymour, the King spoke once again, as the King and there was no mistaking who the message was for or the deadliness that lay behind it. "Sir Edward, what you have seen and heard in here today, or may see again, is to never be shared or discussed with anyone. It is never even to be discussed with the men in this room. To do any different, I would determine to be treason and it would be dealt with accordingly, My Queen's brother or not."

Edward nodded his head in understanding and then rushed Brianna back to his sister's side. The painful moaning and crying continued, and Jane was relieved when Brianna returned to her side. They held hands just like Mary and Jane did, a rosary held between them. Mary was in tears begging Jane to not give up. Brianna held her tongue and just prayed to God to save them both.

After another hour and a half, as the surgeon barbers prepared to cut Jane and take the baby, she finally delivered a healthy baby boy. But she was very ill, although tiredly overjoyed with the birth of a boy. Edward told the King and there was much celebrating within court and outside of it. Brianna and Mary stayed by her side and let the ladies take care of the child. Mary was to be Godmother to the child who they named Edward. But within two weeks, Jane had become so ill it was clear that she would not survive. Brianna had not left her side, not through the Christening, not through her own labor spasms, not through Jane's fevers and results from the illness. It had been Brianna who made sure Jane received the last rights as she would have wished. Brianna was there when Jane took her last breath and helped to prepare her body.

Brandon attended the King and all the events around the baby's birth. The King was devastated by Jane's loss and visited her after her body was laid out. Ultimately, he retired to his quarters and would only allow Brandon and Brianna to attend him. Even his grooms were not allowed in to his chambers. He would not get out of bed; he would not eat; he would not receive anyone. Brianna was put to bed under the midwife's orders until she was rested enough and she and the child were not at any further risk. The King and the Duke were absolutely inflexible with this. One night Brianna woke up with a sleeping King curled up next to her with Brandon on the other side, completely unaware that the King had joined them during the night. This unusual behavior continued throughout his grieving process, although she never said anything and she wasn't even sure Brandon was aware of it.

As her time approached, Brianna insisted on walking in the gardens with Henry and Brandon, when he was available. The King had left the running of the kingdom to Brandon as he completely retired from public and private life. They spoke of poetry, of theology, of law, of classical writing, of mistakes, and of truth. Brianna was sure there had not been another person alive the King spoke to in this way. Brianna grew more and more tired and was in the gardens with the King when her time began. Henry immediately called for grooms and ladies to take her to her lying in, even as he held her limp body in his arms after she had fainted at the first contraction. Once again, the King and Brandon sat in wait for Brianna to bear the child. Compared to Jane, her birth went quickly. She progressed satisfactorily and the midwives were very pleased. The King and Brandon both had reason to be concerned since until the baby was born, and possibly even afterwards, there would be no way to tell who the father was. Within six hours of crying and yelling, the cry of a small baby was heard.

Sir William Compton had been on watch outside the Duke and Duchess' quarters, although they were so close to the King's there could be no missing the sound of either the birth or the healthy cries of a child. Compton burst into the King's privy room excitedly forgetting all the usual bowing and scraping. "It's a boy. A healthy boy!"

The Duke immediately asked after the Duchess. Compton smiled greatly, "She is well your Grace. She is even laughing at the baby's cries, although she is very tired. Her ladies should have her and the baby ready for presentation within an hour." The Duke bowed quickly to the King and left immediately, not caring if his wife was ready for 'presentation' yet or not. He wanted to reassure himself by seeing her. Brandon simply would not be able to live without her and to have her die in childbirth was untenable.

He broke custom and simply walked into the room, seeing all the blood and mess of childbirth and he was unfazed. He went directly to Brianna's side, brushing her hair back from her sweaty face and kissing her full on her lips. "My sweetheart, how are you? The child is apparently well."

She smiled softly at Brandon, stroking his face lightly, "Charles, darling. I am fine, just a little tired. I will feed the child in a moment and then will rest. Let me clean up and then you can come see me and the child at that time."

"May I join you and the child in your bed tonight? I do not want to sleep away from you even if you have just given birth."

Brianna laughed and smiled joyfully. "The baby will be with her wet nurse my love. And while I will sleep solidly no doubt, I would like nothing more than to have you sleeping next to me. But my darling, we will positively be the scandal of the court."

Brandon laughed, "As if there is any doubt we already are. The King will want to see you as well, my love."

"Please Charles, ask him to wait until I am presentable. And then he can see me and the child." Brandon could read between the lines very well as to why the King would be most interested in the child.

Two hours later, Brianna was ready to be seen and Brandon and the King entered her quarters. She lay in the bed, dressed in a formal nightgown and surrounded in her ermine robes, her hair held up and back so she did not catch a chill by washing it, a triple strand of pearls that Brandon had given her at some earlier date around her neck, and with the child wrapped in his own blankets trimmed in ermine as well. The ermine was a symbol of the child's birthright. A child of either a King or a Duke would be presented in ermine and this one was no different. Both men looked at the child interestedly to see if there was any indication as to whose child it might be. The child had dark hair, fair skin, and otherwise indistinguishable features. They would have to wait until the child grew some before being able to tell who the father might be. Fortunately, neither of them was terribly concerned, or at least acted as such, and were more concerned about Brianna's health, which appeared to be well so far.

TBC